CPM leader Shyamal Chakraborty sports the designer kurta on Sunday

The CPM’s campaign sari 2009 incorporated designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s suggestions, and now another city designer has designs on the party.

Designer Agnimitra Paul’s latest assignment was three kurtas and two saris for a CPM programme held on Sunday at Mohor Kunja, opposite Rabindra Sadan.

“Arindam Sil (the actor) told me a week ago about the event and requested me to design a kurta as a sample. I showed him the design last Thursday and he approved it. I delivered the finished pieces on Sunday,” Agnimitra told Metro.

Arindam said when he contacted Agnimitra, the designer readily agreed to design clothes for the CPM event.

“I told her we are holding a programme to support the CPM and asked her if she could design a few kurtas to lend uniqueness to the event. I just briefed her about our programme. The designs are hers,” he said.

The design details are based on what she thinks of the government, said Agnimitra. “I like the fact that this government believes in transition and I also appreciate their friendliness towards industry. The clothes depict that,” explained Tollywood’s favourite designer.

Red-and-white is the obvious colour combination and cotton is the chosen fabric. “Earlier I thought of khadi, but khadi is too Congress,” she said.

The kurtas and saris are hand-painted. The borders on the collar and sleeves have the hammer and sickle symbol alternating with a red block. The sleeves are textured with a kantha stitch painting and the body of the kurta shows the main pattern.

CPM leader Shyamal Chakraborty sports the designer kurta on Sunday

“It’s an abstract design that resembles a ribbon soaring in the sky. Inside the ribbon I have shown motifs of farmers, which progress to motifs of industry workers. The design represents the shift from farms to factories,” Agnimitra explained.

The anchal of the sari has the same ribbon pattern, the border has small CPM symbols and the skirt has a kantha texture.

The CPM’s campaign sari introduced before the 2006 Assembly elections was a white synthetic sari dotted with party symbols. The anchal was inspired by the cover of John Reed’s Ten Days that Shook the World, with silhouettes of men up in arms.

Following Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s suggestions, in 2009, the sari became cotton, while maintaining the red-and-white combo. The new sari had two large CPM symbols printed on the anchal and several small ones on the body and border.

Though Agnimitra did not charge anything for the first lot, she says she would be happy to receive bulk orders since it will generate “good work opportunity for her kaarigars”.

The party men are happy with the designer kurta. “Shyamal Chakraborty and Faiyaz Ahmed Khan loved wearing the kurtas. Even Subhas Chakraborty wanted to wear one, but he was unwell. The kurtas are a hit,” Arindam smiled.

Agnimitra is happy with the response but says the professional design job may or may not translate into a vote. “Who I vote for is very personal. I am guided by emotion rather than party loyalty,” she signed off.